The present invention relates to archery bows. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for damping the vibration and sound generated in the process of drawing and releasing a bow string.
Archery and bow hunting have long-standing histories and have become increasingly popular sports. This popularity has resulted in increasingly sophisticated bows and arrows.
The bow string on an archery bow is under a great deal of tension. On recurve bows, the bow string is subjected to the entire load imposed by the bow. Compound bows employ tension cables and a mechanical cam construction to reduce the maximum draw force which allows the archer to hold full draw with less exertion. Whether employing a recurve bow or a compound bow, the release of the bow string while under tension causes the bow string to vibrate like a string on a musical instrument. The vibration in turn creates noise. If used while hunting, the noise may alert game birds and animals causing the bow to lose its effectiveness. The vibration generated when the bow string is released further produces a strange vibration to the holder of the bow after the arrow is launched which can cause fatigue in the user of the bow.
Various shock and vibration dampening devices have been developed to minimize shock and vibration. However, previous attempts have been far from successful. In some instances, attachments have been placed upon the bow string directly at various locations in an attempt to dampen bow string vibrations. Though reducing noise, these attachments are largely insufficient for reducing noise from a bow string. Additional devices have been employed which attach directly to the bow's body. The devices are often referred to as “stabilizers”. Stabilizers typically are made from lightweight materials and incorporate a fluid, elastomer or granular material to absorb vibration. Representative examples of bow stabilizers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,675,793 and 7,213,590.
Still additional devices have been developed for reducing bow string vibration which affixed to the bow's body and extend rearwardly to engage the bow string after the bow string is released. These vibration dampening devices include an arm which extend from the bow handle rearwardly and include a resilient member on the rear end of the arm which engages the bow string. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,125; 4,461,267 and 5,720,269 describe vibration dampening devices including an arm positioning a bumper which engages the bow string near the bow string's center point in order to stop the forward progress of the bow string. A similar device is described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0278207 which illustrates a vibration damper including a rearwardly projecting arm affixed to the bow using a mounting block. At the end of the arm is a shock suppressing bumper for engaging the bow string. Unfortunately, each of these arm and bumper constructions suffer from significant disadvantages.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a bow string vibration suppressor which effectively dampens bow string vibration and reduces sound.
There is also a need for an improved bow string vibration suppressor including an arm and bumper configuration which engages the bow string after the bow string is released.
Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a bow string vibration suppressor including an arm and bumper configuration for engaging a bow string which was adjustable in length for affixing to bows of various configurations and sizes.
Still an additional feature of a desired bow string vibration suppressor would be for the vibration suppressor to affix to either the front or rear mounting stabilizer hole found on many present day compound bows.